The invention relates generally to power supplies and more specifically to regulated power supplies, particularly switching regulators.
One particular application for regulated power supplies is ion laser power supplies. The important factors are weight, speed, complexity, reliability and conducted emissions. Thus, a simple, inexpensive, compact and light weight design is particularly advantageous for use in an ion laser.
The following have been utilized in ion laser power supplies. A magnetic amplifier is reliable but heavy. A motor generator set is heavy and noisy. A carbon pile is erratic. A motor driven Variac has brush problems. A buck boost transformer is heavy and requires manual tap changes. Phase controlled rectifiers include complex gate drive circuits and produce conducted emissions. Series pass transistors require many power semiconductors and are expensive to build. The standard switching regulator is efficient but includes expensive magnetics and complex snubbing. Thus, none of the available types of power supplies are ideal for an ion laser.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved switching regulator.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a regulated power supply for an ion laser.
It is another object of the invention to provide a regulated power supply which is simple, inexpensive, light weight and compact in design.